1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical cables, and particularly non-metallic electrical cables with integrally formed jacket and partitioned wall members.
2. Description of Related Art
NM-B cable is a common form of indoor residential electrical wire. Traditional NM-B cable consists of two or more PVC insulated conductors and a bare grounding conductor. The bare grounding conductor is individually wrapped in a paper sheath. Additionally, all of the insulated conductors and the bare ground wire may be wrapped in a paper sheath that encompasses the entire wire construction. A PVC jacket is the outermost layer of the construction and encapsulates all of the wires and paper. This construction has been used for a number of years.
Traditional NM-B cable presents several shortcomings. First, traditional NM-B is inconvenient for installation due to the need to remove the paper surrounding the bare grounding conductor. Second, traditional NM-B uses a significant amount of paper, thereby increasing the cost of the wire and depleting natural resources. Third, the inclusion of paper in making traditional NM-B cable slows down the production rate. Fourth, during production the paper may tear, resulting in halting the production process and scrap wire. Thus, there is a need for an NM-B cable that can overcome these shortcomings by eliminating the need for a paper.